Vehicles that use high voltage batteries for vehicle propulsion (e.g., battery electric vehicles (BEVs), hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs), plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), extended range electric vehicles (EREVs), etc.) typically try to maintain the battery within a certain state-of-charge (SOC) operating range. The SOC operating range may be influenced by different factors or considerations, including desired battery performance, battery life, and fuel economy. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that there may be some tradeoffs in terms of how these considerations impact the desired SOC operating range, as improvements to one factor can negatively affect another.
Furthermore, battery conditions for a high voltage vehicle battery can change over time due to factors like battery age, battery temperature, battery charging and discharging history, etc. Controlling or manipulating an SOC operating range in a way that takes various considerations and/or tradeoffs into account can therefore be quite challenging, particularly when the battery conditions are changing over time.